Platoon system effective at Inglemoor

Morrow, Wagner share time at QB as Vikings eye KingCo 4A crown

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, October 18, 2007

KENMORE -- The best advice Inglemoor quarterback A.J. Morrow got this season was from fellow Vikings signal-caller Kurt Wagner, who told him to stop worrying about being the team's superstar.

Funny thing is, that's the same thing Morrow told Wagner.

"We're not competing against each other anymore," said Morrow, who was thrust into the spotlight along with Wagner when starting quarterback Todd Campbell was lost to injury in the second week of the season. Since then, Inglemoor has employed a two-quarterback system that has the Vikings on the cusp of their first KingCo 4A championship since 2000.

"We knew we had to step up," Morrow said. "This entire team's worked really hard to get to where we've been, so we had to make sure the season wouldn't go down when Todd got hurt."

Friday, the Vikings (5-2, 5-1) play top-ranked Bothell (7-0, 6-0) at 7:30 p.m. at Pop Keeney Stadium for a share of the league title. Inglemoor can force a three-way tie with Eastlake with a win, while Bothell can win the title outright.

Inglemoor coach Frank Naish said Morrow and Wagner must continue to play big for the Vikings to upset the unbeaten Cougars.

"They came in and struggled for two weeks because they started competing against each other," Naish said. "When they figured out they were teammates that all changed and they became pretty good quarterbacks."

Wagner has completed 63 percent of his passes for 480 yards and five touchdowns. Last week against Garfield, he completed 13 of 17 passes for 162 yards and three scores to lead Inglemoor to a 42-17 win. Morrow fired the winning TD pass to beat Ballard 20-17 on Sept. 28.

In the beginning, though, it was Campbell's team.

Coming off a 4-5 season in 2006, the Vikings were expecting big things from the versatile Campbell, who threw for 176 yards in the opening loss to Kentridge at Qwest Field. He rushed for 90 yards and a TD the next week against Juanita.

Then it happened. A low snap on a PAT attempt forced Campbell, the Vikings' holder at the time, out of the pocket and into the open. He was hit hard trying to make a play and landed on his shoulder, snapping the collarbone clean through.

Initially, it wasn't easy for Morrow and Wagner to share time under center.

"You would be lying if you said it wasn't fun to be that guy, so splitting that role at first was a little weird for both of us," Wagner said. "Since then we've had some good talks about having each other's back and that the best way to get wins is by supporting each other."

That support comes from Campbell's end, as well.

"It's been awesome to see these guys step up," he said. "Watching them throwing touchdown passes and winning games and leading the team like I knew they could, it's been fun to watch."

On the practice field, Campbell stands side by side with his successors. With football in hand he keeps a close eye on everything they do. If they miss a read, he chimes in. If they run the play correctly, he tells them that, too. On game nights, it's the same thing.

"He's like another coach," Naish said.

Both Morrow and Wagner said Campbell's insight is much appreciated.

"We just know that he's trying to win every way he can, and right now the only way he can do that is by helping A.J. and I out," Wagner said. "He's been huge."

After six weeks of physical therapy and light workouts -- he still runs with the team after practice -- Campbell said he's close to full strength. He also said there's a chance he'll be able to play in the Vikings' playoff game, whether at quarterback or someplace else.

"That'd be nice," Naish said with a smile. "He's a heck of a receiver."

For Morrow and Wagner, it has been a magical senior season. They started the Kentridge game at different positions -- Morrow at linebacker, Wagner at safety -- but now find themselves cooperating on one of the league's most proficient offenses.

Inglemoor has won three in a row and is 4-1 since Campbell went down.

"I think the fact that all three of us have taken important snaps and supported each other and stayed good friends through the whole thing, that shows not just what the three of us are about but what Inglemoor football is about," Wagner said.